Last weekend at Rainbow Rumble, we put athletes from 16 to 77 on the platform, and this past weekend, at USPA Valentine’s Massacre, we put athletes from their 20s to 60s onto the platform. In light of this, I wanted to talk a bit about powerlifting being for all ages. In powerlifting, athletes compete to set the highest one rep max possible in the back squat, bench press, and deadlift. We’ve written about what powerlifting is here and here.
You can build strength at any age, and you’re not too old to compete! More and more often, I’m seeing older folks at powerlifting meets. Maybe folks are starting to understand how important strength training is for healthy aging. Maybe all the folks who started lifting 20 years ago are just older now. Either way, it’s great to see a wide range in athlete ages!
Low Barrier to Entry
Part of what makes powerlifting great for all ages is that the barrier to get started is low. You just need to be able to lift the empty bar to competition standards. If you can do that, you can compete. At the meet our athletes were at this past weekend, one of the other lifters did just that on her first bench attempt, she benched the empty bar.
Full Power versus Selected Events
While powerlifters compete in squat, bench press, and deadlift, you don’t have to do all three in a single meet. Most meets will offer “full power”, where you compete in all three events, but you can typically also sign up for a single event, or in two out of three. This is a great option if you can’t do one of the three events, but still want the competition experience. Sometimes, injuries prevent an athlete from being able to squat to comp standards, or you might find that you just don’t enjoy maxing out on a specific lift. Choosing to compete in just the lifts you want to do is a great way to still be able to participate!
Competing With Yourself
Especially for a new competitor, I encourage you to focus on competing with yourself. You don’t need to worry about what anyone else is doing on that platform. Do your best, get the experience, take it as an opportunity to grow and learn. There’s a bit of an art and a science to learning how to compete well, both for you and for your coach. For your first time, aim to have fun, and learn as much as you can.
Competing in powerlifting can be fun and motivating, and helps keep you motivated to train even on days when you might rather blow off getting into the gym. One of the great things about powerlifting in particular is that it is a pretty accessible sport for most folks, meaning you don’t need to be a technical whiz nor the strongest person in the world to be able to compete for the first time. If you’ve ever considered competing in powerlifting, we can definitely help you get there! We’ve taken many people to their first powerlifting meet, and we can help you get there too.
